Relatively-recent postal requirements have rendered unuseable a number of previously-popular mailers. The U.S.P.S. requirements provide that only the addresses, zip+4 bar code, postage and markings and endorsements that may be visible when a reuseable mail piece is mailed from the originator to the recipient, or from the recipient back to the originator, are those that apply at the time of mailing. The mailer must remove or sufficiently obscure any other element to prevent their being mistaken by postal mail process equipment or personnel. Reuseable mail pieces that are not constructed to meet the requirements are not accepted.
According to the present invention, a reuseable mailer type business form, having four different configurations, is provided which complies with the U.S.P.S. regulations. The business form according to the invention comprises a reuseable mailer useable in an initial mailing configuration addressed to an outgoing addressee, and in a reply mailing configuration addressed to the reply addressee. The features common to all mailers according to the invention include the following elements: A front opaque ply having top, bottom and first and second side edges, at least one cutout, and at least one removable strip adjacent an edge thereof including a perforation line. Postage indicia visible at the upper right hand corner of the front ply. A rear opaque ply of substantially the same size as the front ply having a rear face and a front face, and a fold line adjacent an edge thereof substantially coincident with the perforation line of the front ply, a flap portion defined between the fold line and the adjacent edge of the rear ply. At least one insert ply having outgoing address information thereon visible through the cutout when the mailer is in the initial mailing configuration. And, means for rendering non-viewable all outgoing addressee and postage information, including outgoing addressee bar coding, when converting the mailer from the initial configuration to the reply configuration.
The "rendering" means provided according to the present invention may take the form of a second removable strip adjacent a different edge than the at least one removable strip, or a second cutout formed in the front ply at the upper right-hand corner, postage indicia formed on the insert and visible through the second cutout when the mailer is in its initial configuration. Alternatively, the rendering means may include outgoing addressee bar coding on the insert, and the cutout being large enough so that the entire outgoing address, including bar coding, is visible through it. Also, in one embodiment in order to prevent an insert from moving around within the reply configuration of the mailer, an obscuring reply address that is provided on the front face of the rear ply, aligned strips of self-stick adhesive may extend between the top and bottom edges of the front and rear plies on one side of the cutout, for sealing the front and rear plies together when the insert plies are between them. The adhesive on the flap portion may be a strip of rewettable adhesive, and the cutouts may be open or covered by transparent (e.g., glassine) patches.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a general configuration of reuseable mailer, and a number of specific embodiments thereof, that are simple to construct and use, yet comply with all postal regulations regarding visibility of outgoing and reply addresses. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and the appended claims.